January meeting photos

Hi everyone,

well, it would be good to see January meeting photos while it is still January, right? Yeah, still in a catching-up mode here...
Anyway... we had our January meeting in Threads of Time quilt shop in Amherst, and had great time.

It was just wonderful to have several new potential members this time and really amazing Show and Tell!
 Just look:
Pam already finished her Riley Blake challenge!

Some cool back and inside details:

My own daughter visited us too, and here is her very own quilt (one that she designed, sewed and was ready to quilt!):

In the meantime she did quilt it - some awesome, first-time free-motion - and bind it too!

Here are several of Linda's beautiful creations:

 Scrap-quilter's dream - window (as in Attic Window pattern) with a view on - SCRAPS! What more can you want? :)

And works in progress - You Got Mail quilt that uses Layer Cake pre-cuts:

 and more ways to use even the tiny scraps - they turn into amazing blocks!

And look at this beauty, made by Stephanie (with block contributions from quilters all over, including Robi!)

Karie wow-ed us with her latest finish - this beauty in neutrals with quilting that simply sings! Now my daughter wants to learn to quilt something like that - YAY!

Devon made this super-cute, super-cuddly quilt with minky on the back - we all need one of these!

Here is Rebecca's rainbow beauty, made just because, and with such a great backing fabric too:

Although, she already did have another backing for it...so now this is...a new quilt? :)

Our own VP of Events, Anne, had a great tutorial for everyone on how she makes her feather blocks, for the Feather Swap we are all doing. Somehow I didn't take photos of Anne working hard, (hey, I was busy paying attention to the tutorial!)  but just look at this beautiful feather block:

And just as all of you who couldn't join us this time are thinking how much fun we had, I have to add a bit more... Just look at these out-of-this-world cookies that we enjoyed and took some home! All made by amazing Pam Wilde!! AAHHH-MAZING!!!

Yeah, you saw that right - we had our very own, WNY MQG cookies!! I am still keeping one all nicely wrapped! (even though they are really delicious to eat too)
This time we also had a great sew-in day in Threads of Time classroom space, but unfortunately I had to leave early, so no pictures from me... if any of you girls who stayed and had fun have any more photos, please send them over and I will update this post! Otherwise - visit our Flickr page (see link on the right!) to see even more photos!
All together, yet another great meeting and fun day! We hope all of you still thinking to come and visit, and maybe even join, will do it next month:
 February meeting is on Feb. 23rd, Sunday, at 1pm, in Orchard Park Library (see the calendar on the right too!)

Stay warm everyone and keep stitching! :)
Marija

PS - for all the official stuff, January meeting minutes coming soon!

February Activity: Craft Clean Out!

Ok everyone, in the name of starting fresh for the new year lets clean out our craft spaces and give that junk we don't use a new home!

So here's the plan. At he February meeting we'll have a table set up for everyone to put put their crafty, quilty, sewing stuff that you don't want for someone else to take for free. But please, don't bring things to sell, just the stuff you want to GIVE AWAY. (Though a crafty "garage sale" isn't a bad idea, and we'll do a version of this where you can sell things at a future time!)

So, all that stuff that you don't want anymore but can't bear to throw away, and you want it to go to a good home for free... bring it to our February meeting (Sunday Feb 23 1pm, Orchard Park Library) and let someone else take it!

And if you want to post a picture of what you've got to our flickr group so people can get some ideas of what will be there, even better!

Belated (a lot!) Holiday party photos (with January meeting info at the end!)

Hi everyone,

It seems for me, holiday madness, polar vortex, flooded basement and few other "fun" things combined all into one and swept me away!! Geez... Needles to say - big apologies for such belated post about our lovely December meeting and holiday party!
Promise to get my act together in this 2014 and be a better blogger! :)

Back to our holiday party and December meeting - it was just so much fun!
Lots of very yummy food was on my dining room table in a split second, thanks to everyone and of course - we had to enjoy it first! (sorry no photos of that - I guess we were all too busy eating? :)  )

Once everyone was full and had their choice of wine, what else - SHOW AND TELL!!
Karie was first with her newest beautiful quilt - Kaffe rhapsody...

Next was Rebecca, with her amazing presents for her nephew - a Star Wars pillow: (more about this one HERE)

 and her daughters...

 How beautiful! You can see more of the dolls on Rebecca's blog, HERE
Then it was Kim's turn - she had a bag full of them!
Riley Blake Challenge done:

Holiday table runner:

 with some fun quilting:

And even more colorful quilts from Kim:

Here is Jan's beautiful, bed size quilt:

Anne showed us her first attempt on her new mid-arm machine - WOW!

 Looking at the back too, of course...

Bonnie made this gorgeous pillow:

And Pam was sure busy making all these amazing  holiday place-mats!

Just beautiful!

We had wonderful time and here is one shot I managed to take that kinda shows it:

Miraculously - my big boy, Marley was not in this shot above, (how did that happen?!), but he sure was having loads of fun with everyone, asking for and giving kisses all the time...
See what I mean?

 

Oh wait! - that wasn't all! We also all got PRESENTS!!! Really!

This December meeting was also WNY MQG first anniversary, so our amazing VP Stephanie, announced that to many great companies and some responded in a very, very generous way! Westminster Fabrics and Aurifil thread sent us ALL presents!!! 

We had so much fun drawing names for who gets what and picking goodies. I guess I was too excited and didn't take any photos of that - what a surprise... - but here is at least one Anne took that shows just some of the goodies sent to us by these two wonderful companies: (and of course lovely, smiling faces of Kim and Stephanie!)

HUGE, HUGE THANK YOU goes to both Westminster Fabrics and Aurifil Thread (two of the best in this industry for sure!!) for their generosity!! You sure made our party even more special and I can't wait to see what everyone makes!

Now... we didn't just GET these presents you know - we had to work for them too! In order to entice EVERYONE to finish their Name Tag challenge (and make a swanky name tag), Stephanie proclaimed the rule: NO TAG - NO SWAG!!  Read: no presents for you if you don't finish/make your name tag! So there...
Oh and did we all ever do....
TA-DAAAH!!!:

How beautiful is that?!

So for all of you future members out there, still thinking weather to join us - really? You are still not sure?? He, he... seriously now, this little guild is fabulous, it will be growing and having more and more fun and inspiration - so join us soon!
And for the end, to put the face(s) - smiling, happy, quilter's faces - on it all, here is a group photo of WNY MQG members who could come in December,

wishing you all a happy, creative and full-of-stitches New Year!!

If you would like to join us, even just to visit and say hi, come to the January meeting!

WNY MQG January meeting will be on:

Saturday, January 18th, at 1:30 pm

at Threads of Time quilt shop

3133 Sheridan Drive, Amherst, NY, 14226

Meeting agenda and more fun stuff will follow in the next post, very soon!!
Stay dry in this rain and have a wonderful weekend,
Marija

PS - did you think I was kidding when I said I will be a better blogger this year? Hmmm... take a look at this:

I am so not kidding people! ;)